The Real Housewives franchise has had its fair share of drama over the years.
But these 13 scandals are what got viewers talking, and probably explain why the respective shows are still on the air.
Scroll down if you want all the juicy details — and let us know if we left off your favorite!
Cancer-gate on The Real Housewives of Orange County
Vicki Gunvalso thought that she had found the man of her dreams in Brooks Ayers. However, everyone felt like there was something off about Brooks from the get-go. Things got downright gnarly when he told everyone he was diagnosed with stage 3 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Vicki had a major falling out with her co-stars when rumors emerged that he was faking the diagnosis. Brooks later admitted to falsifying medical documents, but Vicki was done with him.
Tom Causes a Rift on The Real Housewives of New York
Tom D’Agostino joined the cast during Season 8 as the boyfriend of Luann De Lesseps, but it quickly emerged that co-stars Sonja Morgan and Ramona Singer had previously dated him. Bethenny Frankel stepped in with proof that Tom was cheating on her, but Luann married him anyway. They split eight months after the marriage. Hey, the drama made for good TV.
Puppy-gate on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
This scandal paved the way for Lisa Vanderpump to quite the series. Basically, Dorit Kemsley adopted a dog from Vanderpump Dogs, but then she gave the pooch to someone else after it allegedly bit one of her children. The plot thickened when the dog was then at an another shelter and Lisa stepped in to save the dog again. All of the ladies seemingly turned on Lisa for apparently having her Vanderpump Dogs employee, John Sessa, stir the pot. After weeks of back and forth, Lisa and then-BFF Kyle Richards ha a screaming match, and ended their friendship.
Nene vs. Kim on The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Nene Leakes and Kim Zolciak-Biermann were once good friends, but all of that changed when Zolciak started dating some dude named Big Poppa. Leakes told her castmates the man was married, and it was later confirmed. And Nene was having none of it. “Close your legs to married men!” she yelled at her one-time friend.
Fraud on the Real Housewives of New Jersey
New Jersey’s resident table flipper, Teresa Giudice and her husband Joe Giudice raised suspicions when they filed for bankruptcy. They were accused of committing mail, wire, bank, bankruptcy, and tax fraud. They were both indicted in 2014. Teresa played dumb, saying she had no idea what was happening and was given a 15-month jail sentence. Joe was given 41 months, before being detained for possible deportation back to Italy.
A Limo State of Mind on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
At first, Kyle Richards always defended her sister Kim when cast members complained that her behavior was a cause for concern. All of that came to a head when the cast members were in a limousine and Kim accused Kyle of stealing the family’s inherited vacation house. Kyle was done and chastised her sister for her alcohol addiction. “You are a liar, and sick, and an alcoholic. That’s right. I said it now, so everybody knows.”
An Arrest on The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Kenya Moore hated the sight of Porsha Williams, so much so that she spread rumors that Porsha was cheating on Kordell Stewart. She couldn’t help but make fun of Porsha, and things came to a head at a reunion taping when Kenya arrived with a megaphone to stop Porsha talking. The two women then fought, and Porsha was arrested.
Naked-Wasted on The Real Housewives of Orange County
Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson struggled to connect with Gretchen Rossi upon her debut on the series. They thought she was a gold digger, and things got worse when Gretchen was partying away from her late husband, who was battling cancer. Tamra then planned to get Gretchen drunk so that she would do something embarrassing. However, things took a turn when Gretchen went into a bathroom with Tamra’s eldest son, Ryan. Yes, really.
Bunny-gate on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Tensions flared up when Lisa Rinna joined the RHOBH and talked smack about Kim’s sobriety, telling the ladies she was worried that she was close to death. Kim threatened to expose something about Rinna’s husband, Harry Hamlin. Lisa hurled her wine on her. They tried to mend fences later, but Lisa couldn’t help but bring up Kim’s arrests. Rinna tried to fix things by giving Kim a bunny for her new grandchild, but Kim returned it at the reunion.
Table-flipping on The Real Housewives of New Jersey
Teresa Giudice struggled to connect with Danielle Staub when Dina Manzo opened up about a tell-all book about Danielle’s past was out there. It alleged that she had been engaged 19 times and was involved in kidnapping, prostitution, and a drug cartel. Danielle tried to open up about it at a dinner, but Teresa flipped a table over her, while yelling “prostitution wh–e.” Lovely.
Phaedra’s Web of Deceit on The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Hurricane Phaedra arrived on the scene during Season 3, and the ladies weren’t fond of her because her husband, Apollo Nida was in jail. There was the timeline of the birth of her son Ayden which didn’t match up to what she was telling the housewives. Things got wilder when Kenya Moore claimed Apollo wanted to hang out with her seasons later. However, Apollo was sent to jail for identity theft with mail and wire fraud.
Hurricane Phaedra Part Deux
Phaedra was ultimately fired from RHOA when she confessed to spreading false rumors after saying Kandi Burruss and husband, Todd Tucker, wanted to rape Porsha Williams.
Rumors on The Real Housewives of Dallas
LeeAnne Locken was furious when Cary Deuber discredited her plastic surgeon. LeeAnne subsequently told Brandi Redmond that she would harm Cary. “I grew up with a lot of things in my hands, and they’re not knives, they’re just hands. But they work quite well.” What followed was a season of back and forth before the ladies patched things up. However, the ladies were stunned when LeeAnn’s ex-boyfriend said she chased him with a knife.